Teaching innovation – a comparison between courses in Europe and in the USA

What role does the formal teaching of innovation management play? Courses in Europe and the USA are reviewed, especially two courses, MIETE, taught at the University of Porto, in Portugal, and the Stanford University and Michigan University model from the USA. As these flagship courses have resulted in real innovations being introduced into the market formal teaching may well play a decisive role in the larger scenario of real innovation management. A literature review was performed and these two aforementioned cases studied in depth – MIETE via repeated contact with its Director and through the analysis of other publicly available information; while the Stanford University and Michigan University model was analysed by way of a comprehensive publication. A model for innovation and entrepreneurship is put forward whereby personal characteristics, the environment, and career experience and formal teaching will all play a part in the output of innovation and entrepreneurship in society

Modularity and Innovation in Complex Systems

The problem of designing, coordinating, and managing complex systems has been central to the management and organizations literature. Recent writings have tended to offer modularity as, at least, a partial solution to this design problem. However, little attention has been paid to the problem of identifying what constitutes an appropriate modularization of a complex system. We develop a formal simulation model that allows us to carefully examine the dynamics of innovation and performance in complex systems. The model points to the trade-off between the destabilizing effects of overly refined modularization and the modest levels of search and a premature fixation on inferior designs that can result from excessive levels of integration. The analysis highlights an asymmetry in this trade-off, with excessively refined modules leading to cycling behavior and a lack of performance improvement. We discuss the implications of these arguments for product and organization design.

Uncertainty Analysis and Calibration of SWMM Using a Formal Bayesian Methodology Read More: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784412312.060

Importance of uncertainty analysis (UA) to estimate the degree of reliability associated with model predictions is being understood. Consequently, literature that describes various Bayesian methods for the assessment of parameter and model predictive uncertainty has been steadily rising. Applications dealing with urban stormwater management are, however, very limited. This study demonstrates successful application of a formal Bayesian methodology for UA of the U.S. EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM), a widely used urban stormwater management model, and illustrates the methodology using a highly urbanized watershed in southern California. DREAM(ZS), a recently developed effective and efficient sampling algorithm, and a generalized, formal likelihood function that addresses the assumptions commonly made regarding error structure including independence, normality and homoscedasticity are used for the UA. Results will include comparison of the simulated error structure with the assumptions made by the likelihood function, histogram of the parameters posteriors, bounds of the 95 percent confidence interval, and the maximum likelihood (ML) predictions. A conventional calibration attempted to compare the ML results derived from the UA with the optimal solutions identified by the single objective calibration will also be presented. Besides illustrating state-of the-art in UA, the study will highlight application of the methodology to developing a watershed management model to mitigate stormwater quantity and quality problems associated with urbanization

Exchange rate appreciations, labor market rigidities, and informality

This paper works at the interface of the literature exploring the raison d'etre of the informal labor market and that explaining the real exchange rate appreciations occurring in many Latin American countries during periods of reform. The authors first build a small country-Australian style model where the informal sector is seen as an unregulated non-tradables sector, augmented by heterogeneity in entrepreneurial ability and capital adjustment costs. They then examine the behavior of the model with and without a formal sector rigidity. It shows that the co-movements of relative formal/informal incomes, formal/informal sector size, and the real exchange rate can offer insight into the level of distortion in the labor market and the source of exchange rate fluctuations. The paper then explores time series data from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico using multivariate co-integration techniques to establish what"regime"each country is in at various periods of time. Mexico appears to be relatively undistorted and the 1987-92 appreciation appears to be largely a function of a boom in the non-tradables sector rather than wage inertia. In spite of a secular expansion of the informal sector there is little evidence of dualism or of a rigidity driven appreciation of the Real, from 1993-1996. Post 1995 Colombia corresponds to a classic segmented labor market and an appreciation partly driven by labor market rigidities. Graphical analysis suggests that neither the Argentine appreciation (1988-1992) or the celebrated Chilean appreciation (1975-1982) were driven by inertial forcesLabor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Fiscal&Monetary Policy,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Economic Stabilization,Macroeconomic Management,Banks&Banking Reform

The Servant-Leader Model: Air Force Lawyers

The purpose of this paper is to describe what the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (AFJAGC) (USAF, 2018c) has been, where it currently is, where it is headed, and how it should get there, in terms of leadership style for managing its lawyers. The goal is accomplished by developing a formal lawyer management model. Theoretically, a model may be developed to bring the AFJAGC into the 21st century. This paper is a snapshot analysis as to how Air Force lawyers operate from a servant-leader perspective and grow in their management styles and skills. This paper addresses the management of professionals’ paradigm. Since there is very little on current literature on the management/leadership of lawyers, this paper may answer questions relating to managing lawyers and handling professionals in general. This should be beneficial to the military (the Air Force) and hopefully the legal industry as a whole

Conceptualisation of family farms’ flexibility

Agricultural enterprises in transition countries face dynamic changes in the prevailing economic, legal and political conditions. The success of an enterprise depends on its ability to adjust its farming system in response to these changing conditions. To meet this challenge, flexible and adaptable production technology is required. Thus, the farm’s choice of technology is an important decision which determines its future performance. Although the concept of a firm’s flexibility is widely analysed in microeconomics literature, there is no comprehensive framework to facilitate the analysis of family farms’ flexibility, especially considering market imperfections and other obstacles associated with the transition process. In this paper we formulate the theoretical framework for flexibility analysis in order to investigate the impact of farm-specific characteristics on optimal flexibility design and to explain the differences between farms using different production technologies. In a simplified formal model, a competitive risk-averse firm producing one product is assumed to face fluctuating demand under uncertainty. By choosing the level of flexibility, the decision-maker determines the technology of the firm, expressed by the cost function. The optimal level of flexibility will be found by backward induction in the two-stage decision-making process, including ex ante technology decision and ex post output level decision. Using comparative statics and existing theoretical literature, some hypothesis about the relationship between flexibility and other firm characteristics will be formalised. Some possible model extensions that account for specific characteristics of the family farm business in transition countries, as well as future empirical analysis are discussed.flexibility, output price risk, family farms, Farm Management,

A six-component model for assessing procedural fairness in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

This article provides an analysis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) focusing on procedural justice. I demonstrate how, to what end, and with what effects questions of justice and procedural fairness matter in the IPCC work. Then, with the aim to advance critical research, policy and practice on this important subject, I draw on scholarship from social psychology and legal procedures along with socio-political literature on the IPCC to construct a unique six-component framework for evaluating procedural fairness in the IPCC. These include: (i) formal rules about representation and participation; (ii) formal rules about governance and management structure; (iii) formal rules relating to decision making processes; (iv) formal rules on fair treatment of authors; (v) informal quality of decision making rules by authorities; and (vi) informal quality of the interactional environment. Systematic assessment is required to validate the six-component procedural justice model and to reveal existing strengths of, and areas for improvements for, the IPCC procedure

An Outcome-Based Competency Model for Systems Engineering Trainees

Dominant theories relating to outcome-based learning and workforce competency were synthesized into a singular outcome-based competency model to evaluate systems engineering training. A baseline model was developed using leading theories from the academic literature pertaining to competencies for systems engineers across three categories: cognitive, skill-based, and behavioral. The model was further refined via qualitative and quantitative analysis of formal interviews of subject matter experts in the field of systems engineering workforce management. The refined model classifies 28 critical competencies for systems engineers into three tiers of workforce functionality: foundational, specialized, and leadership. The resultant theoretical model is both grounded in robust theory and is validated by subject matter experts and is suitable to drive practical evaluations of systems engineering training programs

Strategic management of population programs

Formal strategic planning and management appear to contribute to organizational effectiveness. The author surveys the literature on strategic management in private/for-profit organizations and applies lessons from that literature to population programs. Few would argue that population programs would not benefit from strategic planning and management, but it would be inadvisable to initiate the process when the organization is faced with a short-term crisis; during or immediately before a change in leadership; or when implementation is unlikely. Public sector programs seem to have the latitude to manage strategically. Models available for adoption include life-cycle models, strategic issues management, stakeholder analysis, and portfolio analysis. The model selected may be a function of: (1) who will use it (life-cycle/evolutionary models may be well-suited to the planning needs of donors); (2) the presence of challenges to the survival of the program or to key components of it (stakeholder analysis would find ready application in those circumstances); and (3) the relative success and stability of the program (portfolio analysis may help a program balance its activities in a stable environment whereas strategic issues management is useful in responding to a dynamic environment.) It is important to marshall top-level support, designatewho will do the leg work, analyze the organization's history and current situation, assess internal strengths and weaknesses and external threats and opportunities, and summarize critical issues facing the program. Then a strategy may be developed. Among the available approaches are: (1) scenario developments (useful for a program that senses a need to change its approach to clients); (2) critical issues analysis (useful for refining successful programs); and (3) a goal approach (useful for programs with diffuse, ill-defined objectives). There are no short-cuts, it is argued. A strategic plan typically contains: (1) a mission statement that describes the social need to be addressed, what is unique about the organization, what its values are, and who the principal stakeholders are; (2) a statement of the population to be served and goals for service delivery and quality standards; (3) a service delivery strategy; (4) a financial strategy; (5) a marketing strategy; and (6) support strategies. Most organizations will find that there is no ideal structure - all require tradeoffs - and that attention should focus on eliminating patently dysfunctional aspects of the structure.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Educational Sciences,Enterprise Development&Reform

How can coaching improve the effectiveness of Performance Management Conversations?

The purpose of this study was to establish how the use of coaching by managers within appraisal conversations could enhance performance at work. The motivation for the study was directed at improving performance related conversations between managers and employees. These conversations may be formal appraisals, or interim reviews. From a literature perspective, there is a high volume of empirical and practitioner literature in the area of performance management, including appraisals. However, there is a lack of empirical and practitioner material covering performance management when integrated with the manager as coach concept and when this concept is treated as an individual theme. Therefore, the evaluation of the performance management and manager as coach literature provided confirmation of the potential for this study. In addition, where empirical work is available, there is a tendency for this to have an employer focus, using the perceptions of managers and HR professionals. In this study, contributions were gathered from the employee as well as those of the manager and the HR professional. The research strategy adopted a grounded theory approach with research participants from both the private and public sector. Data collection comprised four stages, synonymous with grounded theory, and included semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis, using constant comparison, enabled the development of further data collection and analysis through an additional questionnaire that was completed by participating managers. This enabled the collection of rich data demonstrating the value of the manager as coach concept within an appraisal conversation. The findings reveal appraisal conversations can deliver a more meaningful and value adding result for all stakeholders. Conceptually, the research delivers a theoretical model of the manager as coach concept within an appraisal conversation. The model identifies, the manager as coach, as a key enabler of individual performance improvement, which is also sustainable over the longer term. The model also illustrates a range of cultural factors that either enable or restrain the manager as coach concept in the appraisal context. Furthermore, the research establishes a range of benefits that enable the delivery of a quality conversation